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District eyes tax hike of 2%

PROPERTY taxes will rise by two per cent in the District of North Vancouver this year if the community's draft five-year financial plan is approved next month.

PROPERTY taxes will rise by two per cent in the District of North Vancouver this year if the community's draft five-year financial plan is approved next month.

The proposed plan, tabled March 5, would put half of the rise in revenue toward small increases in department operating budgets and the other half to a fund that will cover future capital investment.

One notable exception is The Arts Office, which would see its budget frozen.

Speaking at the March 5 council meeting, several residents raised concerns about the plan, particularly in relation to the rising cost of emergency services.

"At a time when fire emergencies have not increased substantially over the previous many years, it is scary to see so much of the budget taken up by the fire department," said resident Eric Andersen.

The fire department budget is slated to climb to $16,772,000 in 2012, nearly $700,000 more than the 2010 budget. The department is scheduled to replace three vehicles this year, including a fire engine. Extensive renovations are also planned for the Montroyal Fire Station.

The community should examine the need to replace those vehicles and explore sharing services with neighbouring communities to help reduce costs, said Andersen.

He also questioned the rising RCMP budget, pointing out that the district has allocated $16,457,000 in its draft plan for the RCMP in 2012 - a small rise from 2011, but a sizable boost compared to the RCMP's 2010 budget of $14,662,000.

"At a time of documented lower crime rates it is also a concern to see this budget increase," Andersen said.

He and another speaker, Lyle Craver, also asked council to consider a salary freeze in 2012.

"My paycheque's been frozen since 2006," Craver said. "Nobody making over $100,000 should rightfully be complaining about such a wage freeze, considering what is going on in the real world," Andersen agreed.

The district should look for more innovative ways to save money, such as using waste disposal to generate energy, according to resident John Gilmour.

"We should be speaking to the province about other ways we can generate revenue," he said.

The draft financial plan is scheduled to return to council March 26, and could be adopted on April 2.

jshepherd@nsnews.com